A true hero: The fight against cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis is a rare disease, and the patients and families who live with it are a tight-knit global group of people who have been tested to the limit – emotionally, financially, and spiritually. But it is in challenging circumstances like these that heroes are forged. Kayla and her mom Kerry are sterling examples.
‘Brain surgery completely cured my epilepsy’
In South Africa, epilepsy affects an estimated one out of every 100 people (Department of Health 2017 Fact Sheet citing WHO*). Neither genetic nor contagious, epilepsy is a neurological condition characterised by unusual electrical activity in the brain, resulting in seizures.
‘My weight loss secret’
Somerset-West lecturer Tracey Brown lost over 40 kgs within months, something she admits she couldn’t have achieved alone.
‘A suspected episode of lead poisoning left me temporarily paralysed’
After losing the use of her legs, a battery of tests, and chelation therapy that made her hair fall out, Lienkie Diedericks was finally declared free from lead poisoning. But what caused her condition? The answer, like the diagnosis, was not a simple one.
A runner with a big heart
In the beginning of September 2017, Lesego Sepeng ran an average of 35km a day between six Mediclinic hospitals to raise awareness of heart disease in South Africa. This is his story.
DID YOU KNOW?
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Mediclinic trains more than a thousand nurses annually at training centres throughout Southern Africa.
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To ensure sterility, our surgical instruments are twice wrapped in sterile fabric.
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Our radio-translucent theatre beds enable X-rays to be taken on the spot, without having to move the patient or disturb the procedure.
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Some of our hospitals have operating tables that can support patients of up to 370kg in weight and 2.2m in height.
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We have backup generators for our backup generators so that we can provide uninterrupted expert care.
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We monitor the temperature of our neonatal units as newborn babies are extremely sensitive to temperature change.
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Our corridors are 2.3m wide allowing two beds to pass one another without any interference.
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We install alcohol rub dispensers at our facilities to prevent the spread of pathogens.
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Mediclinic has the highest number of internationally accredited facilities in Southern Africa.
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Mediclinic is one of the three leading private hospital groups in Southern Africa and the sixth largest private healthcare group in the world.
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‘I fell pregnant on my first round of IVF treatment’
Two Namibian women who had been trying to conceive for over five years sought help from Mediclinic Windhoek’s new IVF clinic. Both fell pregnant on the same day in June 2017 during their first round of IVF treatment, which also happened to be the clinic’s first round of treatments. They share their stories with us.
Beating leukaemia twice
Simone Van Kraayenburg had her whole life planned out at 20, and was well into her gap year in England when she was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). After her first stem cell transplant in 2010, she relapsed and then had to enter the uncharted waters of having a second unrelated stem cell transplant.
DID YOU KNOW?
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Our corridors are 2.3m wide allowing two beds to pass one another without any interference.
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The only one in Africa and one of only 13 in the world, the P-I BrÅnemark Institute of Excellence at Mediclinic Morningside, specialises in facial reconstruction.
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You get 20% of the water your body needs from eating fruit and vegetables.
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We use the internationally recognised Oxford Vermont Network to keep our neonatal critical care units at the forefront of paediatric medicine.
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Our world-class neonatal units feature high frequency oscillatory ventilators to minimise lung trauma in premature babies.
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We found a practical solution to a shortage of theatre nurses by becoming a registered teaching institution.
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Most nursing units have windows overlooking gardens to promote healing.
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Mediclinic has the highest number of internationally accredited facilities in Southern Africa.
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We use a yacht-mast design for our cabling and keep it safely wound up in our trauma pedestals to avoid any accidents.
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Our nursing units are designed to minimise the distance between nursing staff and patients.
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Supporting children on dialysis
6-year-old Mpho* is on dialysis four times a week at the Morningside Children`s Kidney Treatment Centre at Mediclinic Morningside while he waits for a combined kidney and liver transplant. We find out more about Mpho, The Kidney Beanz Trust and how dialysis saves lives.
‘I beat cervical cancer’
Women are constantly reminded to go for regular pap smears, but may feel uncomfortable going for their check-ups. Norma Kiego put hers off because the results always came back normal and she had only ever had one partner. Then one day she started bleeding heavily and fainted at work.
A loving sister, a kidney transplant and a second chance
Jennifer Swanepoel, a mom to two young adults, had a packed work and social schedule when she was diagnosed with a chronic kidney disease in July 2015 and soon required a kidney transplant. Her sister was her only hope.
How rehabilitation turned a young man’s life around
Dan Lombard was a healthy, fun-loving 18-year-old in his Matric year at Pretoria Boys’ High School. It all changed when he broke his neck during rugby practice.
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